The Three
by Guardian-Angel-5
Summary: Four friends start off with each other then get struck down to three, the three of them together can defeat a great evil lurking in the land but only if one of them realises his true nature.
1. The Three Homecoming

**THE THREE.**

_**The Homecoming.**_

As he walked down the road he contemplated all the long gone things he and the other two had done in their time away. Still now was not the time to think of such things as he had a strange feeling of foreboding creep upon him. He was back in his home land of Cowsley, he had not been back too long when he was told of the new Lord of the Land that had been chosen, still it should only be good manners to show his face as the one of the Protectors of the land.

The castle drew in site and he wondered how many times he had ever been summoned to the place before, or even gone to it, probably no more than a dozen, thirteen now, what a number to go by. Still it was no use thinking about it just get on with it and be out and go and find the others.

As he approached the castle something struck him as unusual there was very little activity nearby or even for the last mile or so. He checked to see if his sword was free in case he had need to draw it, he hoped not, he was still young yet hated killing. He thought about that then smiled at it, Protector of the Land and hated drawing his sword the others would rib him mercilessly about such a thing.

He got to the gate and found that there where no guards upon the gate, what a strange thing he thought, still he entered and without a thought put his hand upon the hilt of his sword, the magic coursed through him and made him feel safer. He wandered through the castle till he came to the throne room, the doors to which were shut. This made him shiver, never had the throne room been shut but in the most dire of emergencies, he crept forward slowly till he put his hand upon the door to try to feel for any magic, there was a bit inside he began wishing his friends where here now to help him, at least one of them could deal with the magic.

Carefully he pushed open the doors and crept through the doors, there was someone on the throne, and someone standing next to him, he felt that he knew the figures from somewhere but could not put his finger upon it. Perhaps it was one of the numerous lords that he had met and had become Lord of the Land. But no, he recognised the faces as the one standing strode forward.

How much had they changed over so long, how much time had passed that he could be here.

They both laughed so loud and greeted each other with hearty slaps of the back and shoulders, then the one sitting on the throne stood up and called him forward. He walked forward with more confidence knowing that his friend was by his side and kneeled baring his sword to the new lord.

'With this sword I promise that I will serve you well and protect all those who dwell in these lands' he said with all the confidence he summon.

'Go on and what about the rest' said the lord.

'What rest?'

'You know about fearing no beast in your quest for a hearty wench and a goblet of foaming ale!'

He looked up and then he realised who the man standing over him was, he no longer had to pay respects and go shooting off to look for the other two, they where here, and one was the new Lord of the Land.

'Well then' C said as he looked at A and took a sip of ale 'what brings you be the new Lord of the Lands'

'Well me and M had just met up a few days ago and when we arrived there was a lot of confusion going on as to who the new Lord should have been. Well we came along and then pretty soon word had got about to the Protectors had arrived and then everyone said he will do.'

'That seems more than fair to me, what's your part in all of this then M'

'I have no part in anything if you remember, and you have yet always more to learn, as do we all. When you came into the door you should have sensed the magic that was there but you walked straight through it you berk'

'Ah well I did sense that was magic here in the room but not that bit'

'Yes well, you had better get better at it because one day I won't be here to save your ass and you will get killed'

'Look you two, stop arguing and let us go and get some sleep and we can talk in the morning when we have had some sleep.'

C eventually went to sleep thinking of when they where all growing up in Child's Ver Wood. He slept thinking of the times they all slept and had such good times in the woods. When they where young they used to and camp in the woods, lighting fires, discovering new things, and among other things where they were taught their skills of fighting, magic and diplomacy among kings and lords. And the then unsuspected chance of being a protector.


	2. Chapter 1 The Begining

_**The Beginning.**_

'Hey, what the hell do you think you are doing now.'

'None of your beeswax B.'

'I will give you beeswax son!'

'Oh yeah, come on then.'

'Oi, didn't I tell you two that was not the way to do that sort of thing' said the teacher.

'Yes Sir' they both said in unison.

'Good, then we shall continue. Where was I, oh yes, and when in front of any kings avert your eyes unless told otherwise or it will no doubt intail loss of said eyes. And some kings are stupid enough to go up against a some of the best knights of the land, even the best, is that not so M'

'Yes Sir'

'That is nice to know, so now you can put that away now can't you. Good, now go and think on this lesson. We will next meet here at this spot at dusk and bring your practice gear.'

As they met back up later a feeling of apprehension ran through them, the teacher had never before asked to see them at this time with their practice gear on, he must be serious about pushing them at their training.

'Good evening boys, we are here to see if you can really protect yourselves in the dark, but seeing as we have at least an hours light still left, you may do as you will. But I will advise you the sensible will practice. I will return in an hour from now, good evening Gentlemen.'

Now they were all seriously worried, he never ended with gentlemen unless something tragic or dangerous was going to happen. The last time they heard that they lost W.

They soon got down to practice and pretty soon the teacher came back.

'Well I am glad to see you took my advice and practised, but please carry on it still not time yet.'

They carried on for a time and then the teacher shouted up

'Stop! Right then you will all sit and be calm and I will come and fetch you one at a time and lead you to different areas, if you see anyone you will not speak to them. You will stay there until you hear a horn blast, that will be me, then I want you to travel in anyway which direction you wish to travel. I want you all or at least some of you to make it back to camp before morning, those that do not will not be considered worthy enough to continue. You will all come across different obstacles, you will have to navigate them or solve them, to gain extra merits, if you see another you may not speak to them, but you may go in the same direction and help each other. Now please, sit.'

He took them one at a time until eventually C was the only one left.

'Stand!' came the teacher's voice.

He stood up and turned round.

'What is this test all about?'

'I thought I told you not to speak to anyone'

'Yes, but you are not just anyone.'

Suddenly the teacher came to full stop and C collided into the back of him.

He stood for a while and then said

'Yes, I can see you are one who will succeed. This test is all about whether you can cope, and if you can find your way around the forest at night.'

'Well that should be easy, I have lived round here all my life, so has most of the others.'

'That may be so, but what about at night without no light?'

'I can always light a fire and torch.'

'Yes, you can can't you.' He said half to himself.

They walked on for a while till they came to a stop.

'This is where I leave you, I hope that you make it, you would do well as in any army of any lord, good luck.'

'Sir, one last question?'

'Go on.'

'Which way is back to camp?'

The teacher stood looking at him for a while.

'You know there have been only four who have asked me that. You know who they are, your friends. M, B and A. I think that you four will make it.'

'Thank you sir. Well which way is it?'

'Yes, well you see this tree, feel about 5 foot up most of the trees and you will find a special mark, I taught you all about them, but not a lot.'

'Yes I remember all of that, and I think I remember all the marks that were taught.'

'Well follow them and you will find out where all the traps are and how to get back, good luck. Not that you will need it.'

He laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, and then turned and walked till he was so far away that C could not even hear his footfalls.

Then all of a sudden a shrill blast cut through the night.

'That must be the horn, now to make my way back camp.' Thought C.

He felt the first tree he came across, and noted that he had to carry on ten or so paces and try the next tree. The next one he came to he felt that, and turned right and walked ten paces. He did that for what seemed hours until he felt that someone was near to him, he turned and out of the corner of his eyes he saw someone feeling the tree near to him.

He wandered up to them and then they turned round and saw him, it was M, then they both pointed in the same direction, soon they met B and A.

They all walked in the same direction, then all of sudden they came out to a clearing that they recognised as the camp, there was no-one there apart from the teacher who was cooking what smelt like fresh bread and a stew.


	3. Chapter 2

'Well done Gents, you have done as I asked, did you have need to draw your swords? No, I can tell that, but please come sit, have something to eat, you are the first to come back.'

'Can I ask what sort of traps you set up?' asked M.

'Well the usual, deadfalls, shallow pits, silly things that you can easily avoid if you knew what to look for.'

'But what if the others can't, what about them? What if none of them come back? What if we are the only four to do this little 'test' of yours?'

'I can see that you will have no problem in the future, I can only also sense that you are one who harbours a little magic, and with some help can become more powerful.'

'OK the, but what about my questions?'

'The others if they do not get here before sunrise will fail, if they do not see the traps then they may carry on it depends how I feel about them, if you are the only ones who pass, then you are the only ones to pass, we have usually had about six or seven pass, I hope that not just four pass,'

They waited for a couple of hours, until they went to sleep, when they awoke in the morning, there was two others that had arrived, the teacher was no where to be seen.

A couple of hours passed, and they cooked some breakfast and sat and talked about what had happened in the night.

The two that had come in the night could not believe that it was as easy as that and all they had to do was ask the teacher for advice.

Come nightfall the teacher still had not come back so they decided to sleep till daybreak and if he had not come back then they would go and look for him.

Morning broke over camp on a damp and foggy day, they all awoke and decided to set off in pairs with equipment and supplies, and if no such luck had happened then they would meet back in two night's time.

They all set off after leaving a note in case he came back.

It was slow going as they could not see very far, pretty soon it became annoyingly damp as all their clothes sticking to them, still best to continue and find the teacher and then they would be back and dried off.

The first day bought no success and halfway through the next day they thought they heard the horn the teacher so favoured, they decide to follow the sound until it suddenly died.

Then all of a sudden, two great rambling things came shuffling out of the fog in front of them. The things then let out a blood-curdling scream then charged.

As they stood rooted to the spot with swords that suddenly seemed to have just magically appeared there all their thoughts seemed to glisten with what had been taught them in the last year. All of the other boys they had know and all of the perils that the teacher had led them into, only for most of them to escape from, now they knew what it was all for. This moment, this very thing that stood between them and certain death was all that they now knew.

Then as the things drew near the swords suddenly seemed as though they were actually part of them, seemed to move of its own accord. Next they knew the things lay dead at their feet. They realised that must have killed them, the swords where caked in blood. It must have been us, there was no one else around.

That night was one of the longest they had known but both knew one had to stand watch while the other slept, but only fitfully.

The next day they where met by even more of these things that seemed to appear from nowhere and then suddenly be killed in the heat of the moment. But they noticed one thing, the things where getting stronger and better at defending themselves.

They trudged back the way they came and not surprisingly met some more of the things, but this time even worse than any they had even seen. If the thing fought harder then they had to outwit and find a weakness in its attack, if it defended all to well then they had to find a niche in its defence and bring it down that way. If it attacked harder then they had to defend even more so and find a way through and dodge its sword while it prepared to come back and swing at them.

Eventually they were near camp, and expecting to find one last thing, they where not wrong. This seemed to even sense the attacks, it knew every move that they made and somehow just seemed to be out of reach of the swords. This they knew must be the true test to see if they could kill it. Then all of a sudden from M came a blinding flash and one the things just seemed just seemed to crumble. C turned to M and saw that he was half kneeling with a look of horror on his face as he looked at the thing. C felt the thing charge him, he turned and saw it was mere feet from him. In almost no time he had turned then bought his sword to bear on the thing, then his sword disappeared into the mist and fog.

His heart beating a fast tattoo in his chest he grabbed M and yanked him up as the thing stopped and turned then slowly came toward them.

'Whatever it was you did to that thing, you had better do it now mate.'

'I don't know, I just thought about wanting it dead so bad that I just imagined it burnt to a crisp and then there was a blinding flash from my hand and then 'poof' it was crumbling up'

The thing was charging faster, then the world seemed to slow down, it dawned on C that he was almost willing it to do so. The thing seemed to be at a snails pace when it raised its sword and came to bring it down upon them. Then C grabbed hold of the things wrists and just seemed to turn snapping its wrists and taking the sword and gently lopping of its head.

They both stood for a moment looking down when the mist almost seemed to just blow out of the way, almost as though some god had decided to just blow it all away as you would a pall of smoke. Then out of the mist they saw the B and A just standing there as they were.

They slowly picked up the swords, cleaned them and sheathed them and all walked back to camp together saying nothing.

Back at the camp the teacher stood waiting for them,

'Well done you have passed my final test, I now know who you all are. Two of you are protectors, with a great wizard in the making. You B are destined to become more. That I will show you, as for the rest of you, you will now be drafted into a group, a special group who will look after you and teach you more.'

'Who is the wizard then?' asked A.

'That will be M, and he will be taught the same as you others. Now go get some rest we will set out in the morning and make our way to your new homes.'


	4. Chapter 3

As they set out the next morning, it was a glorious day, so sunny yet a breeze to cool it down, they walked for a while and at around lunch stopped at a nearby inn for some food. The innkeeper seemed to know the teacher and insisted that he take the best seats and have some of his finest food, but the teacher insisted that he would have what everyone else ate.

After lunch they continued for the best part of the day and at night they settled down in a small copse off the road. They all slept soundly and with the rising sun once again set off again. They travelled many miles and days all the scenery blurring into one, eventually they came to a stop near a monastery like building.

'This is your new home till we cannot teach you any more. I choose you boys because you all have a hint of raw magic in you, you cannot sense it yourself and may not be able to even use it but it is what you need to help protect yourselves and those under you.'

'You will learn more here than I can teach you, when you leave, you will be better than any one champion of any lord or king, you will be able to protect the people of the lands with ease. This is your last chance, if you wish to leave you may do so now, but never to speak a word of what happened to you.'

None spoke but all waited as the teacher made his way to the door of the monastery.

'I bring to you more for your teachings.' He shouted at the door, then the door opened,

'This is your last chance, turn your backs if you wish to go no further.'

Once again none turned but they all strode forward in the dark hall of the monastery, when they entered the door drew shut.

'Welcome to the Protectors Haven, men.'

He called them men, they were shocked, he had never called them men before, gentlemen or even boys but never men, but what shocked them even more was that they were going to become protectors. The best in all the lands, a few men who could take on half an army and still win.

'From this day onwards you are well and truly going to be known as Protectors. A, C and M go with S and he will show you where you will sleep, train, eat and wash. He will also be the one who you direct any questions at from now on, if you ever see me, you can always call me by my real name D, for we are all the same here.'

'I suggest that you go and get some sleep now, you thought that I trained you hard, but that was nothing compared to what will happen from now on, you will not be punished for any misdemeanours unless they are in the extreme, but please be careful as to what you do say or even hear. I hope that you do well and that my faith in you was well placed.'

As he turned to walk away, he said to B

'Now is the chance to say anything you wish to your friends, for you may not see them for a while if not at all.'

B turned to the others and just looked up at the sky from a small window then at the ground and said;

'Lads I hope that when we see each other again we will remember all the good times and wherever we go we all raise a beer for each other.' As he finished the sentence he gripped each of them by the hand and shook them till it hurt.

'I will see you then lads, take care.'

The others could say nothing but only nod as he was led away, who knew what would happen to him.


	5. Chapter 4

As S led them down a corridor A spoke to him

'What will happen to our friend?'

'That will be determined if he is good enough to become an apprentice to the master, he has a fair amount of raw talent in him, even I could sense that.'

He turned down another corridor and stopped in front of a door,

'This is your room, all three of you will sleep in here. The wash room is that door down there.' He indicated to a door half open with some tendrils of steam snaking around it.

'If you are hungry the mess is straight down here left and through the big double doors. I suggest that you get some sleep, training begins in the morning. You shall be given new clothes and if you wish you may keep your weapons you will be given new ones also.'

At that he stalked off down the corridor.

'Well' murmured C 'I reckon that I could do with some sleep, I don't know about you two?'

'It has been a long day, I suppose that I am a bit shattered' spoke up A.

'Ha well I guess I could do with something to eat, what about you two, do you want anything?'

But it was to late, the other two had dropped off their stuff at the foot of the beds and gone to sleep before the heads had even hit the pillow.

'Talk to yourself M.'

He walked out of the door and quietly shut it after him, he walked past the washroom then thought better and walked in. He stripped off and got into one of the tubs that had been put in the floor. How hot? He thought as he lowered himself in.

Pretty soon he was relaxed and felt as though he had been asleep for hours, he got out and dried off.

He picked up his clothes and looked at them, he could do with some fresh ones he thought as he put them back on, and wandered out and down to the mess.

He was just buttoning up his top collar when someone came out of the big double doors near horizontally 5 feet off the floor.

'Ah right then, a fight must be ensuing' he thought to himself 'this should be interesting'

As he walked in the site that met him was sheer devastation.

Tables were upturned, benches had been smashed, and mostly over someone's head he thought by the look of things. This he could verify because he could see one huge chap pick up a bench and actually smash it over someone's head.

He picked up a chair, dusted it off and sat down on it, and settled down to watch the big man methodically work his way round the room while everyone else ran, lay or generally stood there fighting or in shock until someone smacked them one in the face.

'Well' M thought to himself 'I am not going to get any food sitting here all day'

He picked his way through the carnage of bodies, benches and little pools of blood.

He walked till he reached what he assumed was the serving hatch, he knocked on the door and the door opened.

He ducked as he sensed a fist flying toward the back of his head. As he ducked he reached up, grabbed the arm and came up quick and bought the arm down on his shoulder. He heard a crack as it landed just right and then let go as he felt the person whose arm it was go slack as he fell to floor in what he assumed was a dead faint.

'Hiya, how are you' he said as a face peered round the edge of the door 'Could I possibly bother you for some food please.'

The person behind the door motioned him in and shut the door as the carnage continued outside.

'You must be new here.'

He nodded 'How did you guess?'

'Your clothes.'

The woman who was speaking was short, not fat but merely plump and extremely pleasant, and like most of the cooks in the inns he had known, ruddy faced.

'What can I do you for anyway, deary.'

'Anything so long as it tastes nice, not that you should have that trouble, I bet everything you and your crew make tastes nice.'

'Oh, you are a one, come with me and let Old B1 sort you out with something.'

She sat him down at a well-scrubbed table, and began piling a plate with meat, potatoes and vegetables and put some gravy on it.

'O my, that looks so tempting, but you needn't have put that much for me.

'Oh don't worry' she said as the door suddenly flew open and someone came hurtling in.

M looked up from taking a big mouthful of meat and veggies. The huge bulk of a man stood in the doorway and looked around until he saw M.

'You, you broke my mates arm.' He hollered at him

M sat there slowly chewing his mouthful of meat.

'Well aren't you going to even answer me, or just sit there like a simpleton?'

M still sat there and took another chunk of meat, and started to eat that as well.

The man came stamping over and stood before him, looking down on him.

'Well what do have to say for yourself?'

'Nothing.'

The big man suddenly looked very disturbed then looked down back at him.

M stood up very quickly, so quick that the man giant stood no chance, instead he gently slid to the floor and M sat back down again.

The cook came back up to him and said

'What was it you just did to him? I hardly saw you move, I never saw anyone move so fast.

'All I thought was I wished I was faster or he was slower, then got up and smacked in the face with that pot sitting there in the middle of the table. Obviously I must have got something right cause he never saw me or he would have blocked me.'

He finished his food and said his thanks to the cook, then wandered out into the mess.

What a very apt name, it was a mess as well, no one was left standing and no table was left upright. Suddenly a dozen men burst through the big double doors and M looked up at them and winked slowly at them, whilst cracking his knuckles. They moved out of his way, as he walked out as he did so he heard one of them say

'Did he do all of this? If he did I am keeping out of his way in the future.'

As he heard that he turned round and shouted back to them

'And tell that big halfbrain in the kitchen to mind his manners in the future, or I may not be so kind the next time.'

As he walked away he heard someone yell that Big S had been knocked out in the kitchen and felt all eyes on him as he walked away and turned down the corridor.

'Well' he thought to himself 'that has made my first impression on people I wonder what they will think of me now?

He got back to the room that they had been allocated and wandered in and sat on the edge of the bed, he took of his top and lay down, pretty soon he was asleep.


	6. Chapter 5

It was getting light again when they all awoke and there came a knocking at the door, S came in and threw some clothing at each of them.

'I see you already have some admirers among some of the kitchen staff as well as having some of the other Protectors worried.' He said as he turned to M.

M gave him a lopsided grin and put on his clothes, and turned to the others then turned back to S and said,

'Will we need our weapons today or not?

'No, not really today we kit you out and show you around properly, then give you your first lessons.'

They walked out of the room and down towards the mess, but turned left instead of right.

They reached a huge courtyard with dozens of people in it, M looked about and recognised a few from the night before. Then he noticed the big man he knew he knocked out. The big man came over and stood before the four of them, S looked up at the big man then down at M, and looked straight at him and nodded his head in the big mans direction. M looked back at him them nodded as though to answer his question that it was he who knocked him out last night.

S took a step to the side and M moved forward toward the big man.

The big man looked down at M for a few seconds then moved his hand out, the others moved to help M but then realised that he was only holding out his hand to shake.

They both shook hands and the big man said,

'My name is S, if you ever need anything in this world, just ask, I am in awe to anyone who can knock me out within one strike. Can I just ask what you used? It felt like an iron bar.'

M looked at him and nodded,

'I am sorry, if I had to hit you too hard, how is your jaw by the way?'

'It is fine, you must have hard knuckles.'

'Yes, well this is A, C and my name is M in case you have not yet found out.'

'I am pleased to have met you, I hope that you do well here M. If you ever need any help I will be there to help you, Brother Protector.'

S turned toward him and gave him a look which neared admiration.

'Well now that we have met one the best protectors around we can continue to get kitted out, if I can trust you not to knock anyone out.'

At the end of the first day they found out that monastery is built on what could almost be described as a Ley Line where magic is harboured within the walls and is taught to those who live within its confines.

It goes down a long way under the ground and some of the corridors and rooms are so big that they can go on for miles, that is one of the effects of magic, is that it can alter the different states of things, in this case the walls and rooms.

The walls to the friends all seemed too small or big, and some of the rooms were just breathtaking and so huge that you could have had whole armies in them and still room to spare.

They past one room that seemed so strange that the hairs on the back of their necks suddenly raised.

'So you noticed that then' said S 'that just goes to prove that you are well chosen.'

'What is behind the door then?' asked M.

'Behind there is a corridor with strange markings on the walls, strange spells protect the corridor all the way down till you reach a huge door.'

'And what's behind…'

'Don't even ask, because no-one even knows, that was one of the best mages on in this world that anyone even knew. He died nearly a thousand years ago, he still spoke of in some circles in this place. Yes, don't looked so shocked, not only does the magic alter rooms but in certain areas, the people in it. There are some people aged more than a thousand years old, and they don't even look older than seventy.'

'I think that he predicted that a thousand years after his death a greater even more powerful mage will come into the Haven and re-establish peace and order within the Palaces around. Many think that this is just a load of cobblers but a lot more think that this may well come to pass, I certainly hope so.'

'So how will they know the next mage then?' asked C.

'That is a little more difficult to explain. He said he would be a great and intelligent man, a great warrior, and many would honour and obey him, even follow him before they even knew he was the mage.'

'Is that it, nothing else, no other explanations, no more said how to spot him, what if others dispute him, what then.' Asked A.

S stood and looked at all three of them for a while.

'I can see you three together will be a force to be reckoned with, I certainly know not to mess with you in the future. As to your question you can see it written down, I will take you to see it later, but for now we will carry on our tour round.'


End file.
